Employee carjacked at gunpoint in Evergreen Hospital parking garage

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KIRKLAND, Wash. -- A hospital worker got carjacked at gunpoint leaving the parking garage at EvergreenHealth Medical Center, and now police are sifting through security footage for images of the suspect.

Investigators say the 43-year-old worker had just ended her shift Monday night, and walked to her minivan in the hospital parking garage to head home. Before she could pull out of the stall, a man rushed her door.

"He had a handgun, displayed it to her, and told her he wanted her car," said Lt. Mike Murray with the Kirkland Police Department.

Murray said the suspect threatened to shoot the victim so she did as he asked, then ran to call 911 as he drove away. Officers responded immediately.

"I just saw these four police cars. They were coming and going so many times," said Protik Sengupta, who was visiting a family member at the hospital.

The hospital employee wasn't hurt, but a carjacking at gunpoint has her co-workers uneasy.

"It's scary," said Debbie Santjer, "especially at night."

Police immediately went to work, and learned the victim left her iPhone and two iPad tablets in the stolen van.

"What our officers on the scene did is they immediately started searching the 'Find My iPhone' app," Murray said.

The app uses GPS technology to pinpoint a device's location. Kirkland officers got a hit at a condo complex in Mill Creek, where they found the stolen van a short time later. The suspect was gone, so investigators are now checking it for fingerprints, and pouring over extensive surveillance footage from the parking garage for images of the suspect.

"I didn't expect this to happen. it's a hospital. you're supposed to be safe out here," Sengupta said.

"We have security here, so if anyone feels threatened or whatever, they just call them and they can walk them out to the car," Santjer added.

Hospital administrators notified staff about the crime and are working with detectives, who have already recovered some images of the suspect from security footage. They are also checking the van for fingerprints and any DNA.

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